Heading into last offseason, the Phillies boasted an exclusively right-handed starting rotation and were desperate for a lefty starter. Not only did the team need a southpaw or two to balance out their rotation, but needed a serviceable starter to bolster a group that sported a 5.66 ERA for 2018 Phillies starters not named Aaron Nola.
With a need for both a productive starter and a left-handed starter, the tea leaves seemed to point towards a potential Dallas Keuchel-Phillies pairing. The pairing seemed even more likely once notable southpaw ace Patrick Corbin signed a 6-year pact with the Washington Nationals.